Costa Serena: First International Cruise Liner in India

Mumbai, Nov 3 (PTI) Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday flagged off the maiden voyage of Costa Serena, the first international cruise liner in India, in Mumbai.

Costa is presently looking at having approximately 45,000 passengers on the short sailing from November 4 to January 12.

The launch of Costa Cruises' domestic sailing has been made possible by a series of initiatives taken by the government to promote and revitalize the cruise tourism industry in India, the minister for ports, shipping and waterways said after the launch.

"The launch thus is a momentous occasion that signifies the dawn of a new era in cruising and tourism," Sonowal said.

This initiative has been driven by the "Dekho Apna Desh" initiative of the central government, he said.

An increasing number of international cruise liners is demonstrating a growing interest in the Indian cruising industry, and numerous new services are in the pipeline and expected to start soon, promising a vibrant future for this burgeoning sector, Sonowal said.

The launch of domestic cruising of an international cruise liner is also a giant step towards achieving the goal of 5-million cruise passengers in India by 2047, the government said.

"India has enhanced its focus on the cruise sector with the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways actively promoting cruise tourism for its vast economic positive impact, the potential for job creation, for earning foreign exchange, amongst many other benefits," the minister said.

One of the key thrust areas is to develop cruise destinations at tourism places of coastal state and islands.

The measures taken by the government include guaranteed berths to cruise ships, removal of ousting charges, concessional uniform single rate for all major ports, volume discounts in cruise tariff up to 30 per cent for domestic cruise ships, waiver of cabotage for foreign cruise vessels, among others, he said.

Under the Maritime India Vision 2030, the government envisions to establish India as the premier cruise hub in the Asia Pacific region.

To achieve this goal, significant steps are being taken, including the development of state-of-the-art cruise terminals, the implementation of standardized procedures, and the introduction of e-visa facilities, among others, he said.

Going forward, the objective is to increase the annual number of cruise passengers in India to 18 lakh by 2030, up from the current figure of 4.72 lakh, as per the government.